#12 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

Section
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that
al-‘Abbas said: I asked Allah, one year after
‘Umar had died, to show me him in a dream. I
saw him after a year and he was wiping the
sweat from his brow, so I said, ‘May my father
and my mother be your ransom, Amir al-
Mu’minin! How is it with you?’ He said, ‘This
is the time I have just finished. The house of
‘Umar had almost been violently demolished if
it had not been that I met a pitying,
compassionate one (Ra’uf Rahim. Note that
these are two names that Allah gave to His
Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, in the penultimate ayah of Surat at-
Tawbah. Ar-Ra’uf ar-Rahim are names of
Allah).’
He also narrated from Zayd ibn Aslam that
‘Amr ibn al-‘As saw ‘Umar in his sleep and
asked, ‘How have you done?’ He asked, ‘When
did I leave you?’ He answered, ‘Twelve years
ago.’ He said, ‘I have only finished my
accounting now.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn
‘Umar said: I heard a man of the Ansar
saying, ‘I asked Allah to show me ‘Umar in my
sleep, then I saw him after ten years, and he
was wiping sweat from his brow. I said, ‘Amir
al-Mu’minin, what have you done?’ He said,
‘Right now I have finished, and if it were not
for the mercy of my Lord I would have been
destroyed.’
Al-Hakim narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said:
‘Atikah bint Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl
eulogised ‘Umar, saying:
‘Eye! let your tears and weeping be abundant,
and do not weary over the noble imam.
The fate of the inspired horseman distressed
me
on the day of combat and harsh reproach;
The protection of the deen, the helper against
fate,
succour of the troubled and the distressed.
Say to the people of hardship and misfortune,
“Die! since fate has given us to drink the cup
of division and disunion.”’
Those of the Companions who died during his
days
During the khilafah of ‘Umar, may Allah be
pleased with him, those of the notable
companions who died were: ‘Utbah ibn
Ghazwan, al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami, Qais ibn
as-Sakan, Abu Quhafah the father of as-
Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, Sa‘d
ibn ‘Ubadah, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, Ibn Umm
Maktum the mu’adhdhin, ‘Ayyash ibn Abi
Rabi‘ah, ‘Abd ar-Rahman the brother of az-
Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwam, Qais ibn Abi Sa‘sa‘ah
one of those who memorised all of the Qur’an,
Nawfal ibn al-Harith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, his
brother Abu Sufyan, Mariyah the mother of the
Sayyid Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, who died
in infancy), Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah,
Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan,
Shurahbil ibn Hasanah, al-Fadl ibn al-‘Abbas,
Abu Jandal ibn Suhayl, Abu Malik al-Ash‘ari,
Safwan ibn al-Mu‘attal, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Bilal
the mu’adhdhin, Usayd ibn al-Hudhayr, al-
Bara’ ibn Malik the brother of Anas, Zaynab
bint Jahsh, ‘Iyad ibn Ghanam, Abu’l-Haytham
ibn at-Tayyihan, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Jarud
the chief of Bani ‘Abd al-Qais, an-Nu‘man ibn
Muqarran, Qatadah ibn an-Nu‘man, al-Aqra‘
ibn Habis, Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, ‘Uwaym ibn
Sa‘idah, Ghilan ath-Thaqafi, Abu Mihjan ath-
Thaqafi, and other Companions, may Allah be
pleased with all of them.
----
1 An ayah whose judgement remains valid
although it is not in the mushaf and is not
recited.
2 Sikkah is literally both a ‘row’ and a
‘plough’ and it is possible there is a reference
to the tradition that ‘The sikkah (plough) has
not entered the abode of a people but that it
humiliated them.’

#11 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

Some accounts of him and of his judgements
Al-‘Askari narrated in al-Awa’il, at-Tabarani
in al-Kabir, and al-Hakim by way of Ibn
Shihab that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz asked Abu
Bakr ibn Sulayman ibn Abi Hathamah what
was the reason that it used to be written,
‘From the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,’ in
the time of Abu Bakr, then later ‘Umar used to
write at first, ‘From the Khalifah of Abu Bakr’?
Then who was the first to write, ‘From the
Amir al-Mu’minin (the Commander of the
Believers)’? He said, ‘Ash-Shifa, who was one
of the women of the Muhajirun, told me that
Abu Bakr used to write, “From the Khalifah of
the Messenger of Allah,” and ‘Umar used to
write, “From the Khalifah of the Khalifah of
the Messenger of Allah,” until one day ‘Umar
wrote to the governor of Iraq, to send him two
strong men whom he could ask about Iraq and
its inhabitants. He sent to him Labid ibn
Rabi‘ah and ‘Adi ibn Hatim, and they came to
Madinah and entered the mosque where they
found ‘Amr ibn al-‘As. They said, ‘Get
permission for us (to visit) the Amir al-
Mu’minin.’ ‘Amr said, ‘You two, by Allah, have
hit upon his name!’ Then ‘Amr went in to him
and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Amir al-
Mu’minin.’ He said, ‘What occurred to you
about this name? You must explain what you
have said.’ He told him and said, ‘You are the
amir (commander) and we are the mu’minun
(the believers).’ Thus letters have continued to
be written with that from that day.
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: ‘Adi ibn
Hatim and Labid ibn Rabi‘ah named him thus
when they came as a deputation from Iraq. It
has been said that al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah
named him with this name. It has also been
said that ‘Umar said to people, ‘You are the
believers and I am your amir,’ and so he was
called Amir al-Mu’minin, and before that he
was known as the Khalifah of the Khalifah of
the Messenger of Allah, but they changed from
that expression because of its length.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mu‘awiyah ibn
Qurrah said: It used to be written ‘From Abu
Bakr the Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah,’
and then when it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
they wanted to say, ‘The Khalifah of the
Khalifah of the Messenger of Allah.’ ‘Umar
said, ‘This is lengthy.’ They said, ‘No. But we
have appointed you as amir over us, so you
are our amir.’ He said, ‘Yes, and you are the
believers, and I am your amir.’ Then it became
written Amir al-Mu’minin.
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Tarikh that Ibn al-
Musayyab said: The first to write the date was
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab two and a half years
into his khilafah, and it was written down as
the sixteenth year of the Hijrah, through the
advice of ‘Ali.
As-Salafi narrated in at-Tuyuriyyat with a
sahih isnad from Ibn ‘Umar from ‘Umar that
he wished to record the sunan (customary
practices of the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, and of his companions),
so he sought Allah’s choice in the matter
(through the supplication known as the
istikharah) for a month. Then he arose one
morning with a clear resolve and said, ‘I
remembered a people who were before you
who wrote a book, and then they turned to it
and abandoned the Book of Allah.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Shaddad said: The first
words that ‘Umar would say when he ascended
the minbar were, ‘O Allah, I am severe, so
make me gentle, I am weak, so strengthen me,
and I am miserly, so make me generous.”
Ibn Sa‘d and Sa‘id ibn Mansur and others
narrated by different routes thatt ‘Umar said,
‘I have placed myself in respect to Allah’s
property in the same relation as the guardian
of the orphan to his (the orphan’s) wealth. If I
am in good circumstances, I will refrain from
it, and if I am in need I will eat of it in
moderation, and if (again later) I am in good
circumstances, I will repay.”
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said that
when ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab was in need, he
used to go to the man in charge of the bait
al-mal and seek a loan from him. Often he
might be in difficulty and the man in charge of
the public treasury would come to him, seek
repayment of the debt and would oblige him to
pay it, and ‘Umar would be evasive to him.
Then, often ‘Umar would receive his stipend
and so pay his debt.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Bara’ ibn Ma‘rur
said that ‘Umar went out one day until he
came to the minbar and he had been suffering
from a complaint. The good qualities of honey
were mentioned to him, and there was a
receptacle (made of kidskin) of it in the bait
al-mal. He said, ‘If you give me permission I
will take it, but if not then it is haram for me.’
They gave him permission.
He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said that
‘Umar used to insert his hand into the saddle
sore of his camel and say, ‘I fear that I will be
asked about what is (wrong) with you.’
He narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: When ‘Umar
meant to forbid people from some wrong
action, he would come to his family and say,
‘If I come to know of anyone who becomes
involved in something I have forbidden, I will
double the punishment for him.’
We have narrated in more than one way that
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab went out one night to
patrol Madinah – and he used to do that a lot
– when he came upon one of the women of the
Arabs whose door was bolted against her
(locking her in) and she was saying:
‘This night, whose stars creep slowly, is
wearisome and makes me sleepless,
Because I have no bedfellow with whom to
sport,
For, by Allah, if Allah’s punishments were not
feared,
His rights would have been removed from this
couch.
However, I fear a Watchful One Who is in
charge of our selves
And Whose recorder is not negligent for an
instant.
Fear of my Lord and modesty prevent me, and
I honour my husband (too much),
That his noble station should be conferred (on
another).’
So he (‘Umar) wrote to his governors about
military expeditions that no-one should be
absent for more than four months.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Zadan that Salman
said that ‘Umar said to him, ‘Am I a king or a
khalifah?’ Salman said to him, ‘If you collect a
dirham from the land of the Muslims, or less
or more, then you put it to an improper use,
you are a king, not a khalifah.’ ‘Umar took
warning from it.
He narrated that Sufyan ibn Abi’l-‘Arja’ said:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘By Allah, I do not
know whether I am a khalifah or a king, for if I
am a king then this is a tremendous matter.’
Someone said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, there is a
distinction between the two of them.’ He said,
‘What is it?’ He said, ‘A khalifah does not take
except what is due and he does not use it
except in the right way, and you, praise be to
Allah, are like that. The king treats people
unjustly, and takes from this one and gives to
that one.’ ‘Umar was silent.
He narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be
pleased with him, said: ‘Umar mounted a
horse and his robe disclosed his thigh. The
people of Najran saw on his thigh a black
mole and said, ‘This is the one whom we find
in our Book will exile us from our land.’
He narrated from Sa‘d al-Hari that Ka‘b al-
Ahbar said to ‘Umar, ‘We find you in the Book
of Allah at one of the gates of Jahannam
preventing people from falling into it. When
you die, they will carry on plunging into it
until the Day of Resurrection.’
He narrated that Abu Mash‘ar said: Our
shaykhs told us that ‘Umar said, ‘This matter
will not be correct but with the severity that
has no haughtiness in it, and with the
gentleness that has no weakness in it.’
Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in his Musannaf
that Hakim ibn ‘Umayr said: ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattab said, ‘Let not the amir of an army or
a raiding party whip anyone for a hadd
punishment until he arrives at Darb (Derbe
near the Cilician Gates, a mountain pass
through which the Muslims passed returning
from raids into Byzantine territory) so that the
rage of the shaytan does not carry him to the
point that he joins with the kuffar.’
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that ash-
Sha‘bi said: The Byzantine Emperor wrote to
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, ‘My messengers have
come to me from you claiming that among you
there is a tree which is not like anything else
among trees: it produces something like the
ears of the ass, it opens out (to reveal)
something like a pearl, it becomes green so
that it is like the green emerald, it reddens
until it is like the red ruby, then later it ripens
and matures so that it becomes like the
sweetest honey-cake ever eaten, then later it
dries until it becomes a defence (against
want) for the house-dweller and a provision
for the traveller. If my messengers have told
me the truth, I can only imagine that this is
one of the trees of the Garden.’ ‘Umar wrote to
him, ‘From the slave of Allah, ‘Umar, the Amir
al-Mu’minin, to Caesar, the king of the
Byzantines. Truly your messengers have told
you the truth. This tree, which is with us, is
the tree which Allah made to grow over
Maryam when she gave birth to ‘Isa her son.
So fear Allah and do not take ‘Isa as a god
apart from Allah, for truly, “The likeness of ‘Isa
with Allah is as the likeness of Adam, He
created him from dust, …”’ (Qur’an 3: 59) to
the end of the ayah.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar
ordered his governors, so they recorded their
properties, and among them was Sa‘d bin Abi
Waqqas. Then ‘Umar shared with them in their
properties and took a half and gave them a
half.
He narrated that ash-Sha‘bi said that when
‘Umar used to appoint a governor he would
record his property.
He narrated that Abu Imamah ibn Sahl ibn
Hunayf said: ‘Umar remained some time not
eating anything at all from the property of the
bait al-mal, until poverty and constriction
came upon him in that. He sent for the
Companions of the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, to seek their advice.
He said, ‘I have occupied myself with this
command, so what is fitting for me from it?’
‘Ali said, ‘The midday and evening meals.’
‘Umar took that.
He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that ‘Umar
performed the Hajj in the year twenty-three
(AH) and spent sixteen dinars upon his Hajj.
He said, ‘‘Abdullah we have been extravagant
with this property.’
‘Abd ar-Razzaq narrated in the Musannaf that
Qatadah and ash-Sha‘bi said: A woman came
to ‘Umar and said, ‘My husband stands at
night (in prayer) and fasts during the day.’
‘Umar said, ‘You have praised your husband
excellently well.’ Ka‘b ibn Sawwar said, ‘She
was complaining.’ ‘Umar said, ‘How?’ He said,
‘She claims that she has no share in her
husband (in his time).’ He said, ‘If you
understood that much, then you decide
between them.’ He said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin,
Allah has permitted him four (wives). So she
has one day of every four days, and one night
of every four nights.’
He narrated that Ibn Jarir said: One I trust
informed me that ‘Umar, while he was
patrolling, heard a woman saying:
‘This night stretches out and is grievous,
and that I have no intimate to sport with
makes me sleepless,
For, if it were not for fear of Allah Whom
nothing is like,
his rights would have been removed from this
couch.’
‘Umar said, ‘What is wrong with you?’ She
said, ‘You sent my husband on an expedition
some months ago, and I long for him.’ He
said, ‘Do you mean to do wrong?’ She said, ‘(I
seek) the refuge of Allah!’ He said, ‘So restrain
yourself; it is only (a matter of) the post to
him.’ He sent a message to him. Then he went
to Hafsah and said, ‘I want to ask you about a
matter which concerns me, so dispel it for me.
How long does a woman long for her
husband?’ She lowered her head and was shy.
He said, ‘Truly Allah is not shy of the truth.’
She gestured with her hand, indicating three
months, and if that is not possible, then four
months. ‘Umar wrote that armies must not be
kept on service for more than four months.
He narrated from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah that he
came to ‘Umar to complain to him of the
treatment he received from his womenfolk.
‘Umar said to him, ‘We also find that, so much
so that when I intend (going out for) some
necessity, she says to me, “You are only going
to the girls of Bani so-and-so to look at
them.”’ ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud said to him,
‘Has it not reached you that Ibrahim, peace be
upon him, complained to Allah about Sarah’s
character and it was said to him, “She has
been created from a rib so have the enjoyment
of her company as long as you don’t see in
her any unsoundness in her deen.”’
He narrated that ‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid said: One
of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab’s sons went in to see
him. He had combed and oiled his hair and
dressed up in the very best clothing. ‘Umar
struck him with a whip until he made him
weep. Hafsah asked him, ‘Why did you strike
him?’ He said, ‘I saw that his self had made
him conceited, and I wanted to make it (his
self) small for him.’
He narrated from Ma‘mar from Layth ibn Abi
Salim that ‘Umar said, ‘Do not name
yourselves with the name al-Hakam (the ruler
and judge) nor Abu’l-Hakam (possessor of
judgement) for truly Allah, He is al-Hakam
(the ruler) and don’t call a road a sikkah.’2
Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shu‘ab al-Iman that
ad-Dahhak said: Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, I
wish that I were a tree by the side of the road
by which a camel passed, and it took me into
its mouth, chewed me, swallowed me, passed
me out as dung, and that I were not a man.’
‘Umar said, ‘Would that I were my family’s
ram, which they were fattening as much as
seemed right to them, until when I became as
fat as could be, some people whom they love
visit them, and they sacrifice me for them,
make some of me into roasted meat, some of
me into sun-dried meat, then eat me, and that
I were not a human being.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu’l-Bakhtari said:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab used to give the
khutbah on the minbar. Al-Hussein ibn ‘Ali,
may Allah be pleased with him, stood up
before him and said, ‘Come down from my
father’s minbar.’ ‘Umar said, ‘It is the minbar
of your father and not the minbar of my father.
Who told you to do this?’ ‘Ali stood and said,
‘By Allah, no-one told him to do this. I will
certainly cause you (al-Hussein) some pain,
traitor.’ He (‘Umar) said, ‘Don’t hurt the son
of my brother, for he has told the truth, it is
the minbar of his father.’
Al-Khateeb narrated in Adab ar-Rawi from
Malik by his route from Ibn Shihab that Abu
Salamah ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahman and Sa‘id ibn
al-Musayyab narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattab and ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan were arguing
over a certain question until an onlooker said,
‘They will never reach an agreement.’ Yet they
only separated on the best and most beautiful
terms.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: The first
khutbah which ‘Umar delivered, he praised
Allah and then said, ‘Right. I have been tested
by you and you have been tested by me, and I
have succeeded to the khilafah, amongst you,
after my two companions. Whoever is here
present, we will manage their affairs in person,
and whoever is not here with us, we will
appoint over him strong and trustworthy
people. Whoever acts excellently well, we will
increase him in excellent treatment, and
whoever acts wrongly we will punish, and may
Allah forgive us and you.’
He narrated from Jubayr ibn al-Huwayrith
that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be
pleased with him, sought the advice of the
Muslims on the recording of a register. ‘Ali
said to him, ‘Divide up every year what is
collected for you of property, and don’t keep
any of it.’ ‘Uthman said, ‘I see much wealth,
which is sufficient for the people and if it is
not counted so that whoever takes is
distinguished from whoever does not take, I
am afraid that the matter will become
confused.’ Al-Walid ibn Hisham ibn al-
Mughirah said, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, I went to
Syria and I saw that its kings had recorded
registers and organised the troops, so record
registers and organise the troops.’ He took his
advice, and he called ‘Aqil ibn Abi Talib,
Makhramah ibn Nawfal and Jubayr ibn
Mut‘im, who were genealogists of Quraysh,
and said, ‘Record people according to their
ranks.’ They recorded them beginning with
Banu Hashim, then they followed with Abu
Bakr and his people, then ‘Umar and his
people, according to the order of their
khilafahs. When ‘Umar saw it, he said, ‘Begin
with the close relatives of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, the
closest, then the next closest until you place
‘Umar where Allah placed him.’
He narrated that Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said:
‘Umar recorded the register in al-Muharram of
the year 20 AH.
He narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar wrote
to Hudhayfah, ‘Give the people their stipends
and their provisions.’ He wrote back to him,
‘We have done that and a great deal remains.’
‘Umar wrote to him, ‘It is their spoils which
Allah has given them. It is not ‘Umar’s nor
‘Umar’s family’s. Divide it up among them.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Jubayr ibn Mut‘im
said: While ‘Umar was standing on the
mountain of ‘Arafah he heard a man calling
out, saying, ‘Khalifah of Allah!’ Another man
heard him, and they were taking provisions for
the way, so he said, ‘What is wrong with you,
may Allah split your uvulas?’ I went towards
the man and shouted at him. Jubayr
continued: Then the next morning, I was
standing with ‘Umar at al-‘Aqabah (the major
pillar of stones in Mina) and he was stoning
it, when there came a stray pebble and split
(the skin on) ‘Umar’s head. I turned that way
and heard a man from the mountain saying, ‘I
make it known, by the Lord of the Ka‘bah, that
‘Umar will not stand in this place after this
year,’ and it was the one who had called out
among us the day before, and that disturbed
me greatly.
He narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah be
pleased with her, said: At the time of the last
Hajj which ‘Umar performed with the Mothers
of the Believers (the wives of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace), when
we returned from ‘Arafah, I passed by al-
Muhassab and I heard a man upon his camel
saying, ‘Where was ‘Umar, the Amir al-
Mu’minin?’ I heard another man saying, ‘Here
was the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He made the
camel kneel down upon its breast, then he
raised his voice in a wail saying:
‘Upon you peace from an imam and may the
hand of Allah bless that much-rent skin,
Whoever hurries on or mounts the two wings
of the ostrich, in order to overtake what you
sent ahead the day before, will be outstripped.
You decided matters, then after them you left
behind trials and misfortunes in their sleeves,
not yet unloosed.’
That rider did not move and it was not known
who he was, and we used to say that he was
one of the Jinn, for ‘Umar came back from
that Hajj, was stabbed by the dagger and
died.
He narrated that ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abza
said that ‘Umar said, ‘This authority is among
the people of Badr as long as one of them
remains, then it is among the people of Uhud
as long as one of them remains, and among
such and such, and such and such, and there
is no part in it for a freed captive, nor the son
of a freed captive, nor those who became
Muslims at the Opening (of Makkah to Islam).’
He narrated from an-Nakha‘i that a man said
to ‘Umar, ‘Will you not appoint ‘Abdullah ibn
‘Umar as khalifah?’ He said, ‘May Allah fight
you! By Allah, I never wanted this of Allah.
Shall I appoint as khalifah a man who did not
know how to divorce his wife properly?’
He narrated from Shaddad ibn Aws that Ka‘b
said: There was among the Tribe of Isra’il a
king whom, when we remember him we are
reminded of ‘Umar, and when we remember
‘Umar we are reminded of him. He had by his
side a prophet who received revelation. Allah
revealed to the prophet, peace be upon him, to
say to him, ‘Make your covenant and write
your testament to me, for you are dead after
three days.’ The prophet informed him of that.
When it was the third day, he fell down (dead)
between the wall and the couch. He came to
his Lord and said, ‘O Allah, if You knew that I
was just in my rule; that when matters
differed, I followed Your guidance; and I was
such and such, and such and such, then
increase my life-span until my infant son
grows up and my nation increases.’ Allah
revealed to the prophet that, ‘He has said
such and such – and it is true – and I have
added fifteen years to his life-span. That is
enough for his infant son to grow up and his
nation to increase.’ When ‘Umar was stabbed,
Ka‘b said, ‘If ‘Umar were to ask his Lord, Allah
would definitely let him stay.’ ‘Umar was told
about that. He said, ‘O Allah take me back to
You without (my) being powerless and
incapable or blameworthy.’
He narrated from Sulayman ibn Yasar that the
Jinn wailed in mourning for ‘Umar.
Al-Hakim narrated that Malik ibn Dinar said:
A voice was heard on the mountain of Tabalah
when ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
was killed:
‘Let whoever would weep, weep for Islam,
For they are on the point of being thrown to
the ground and (their) appointed time has not
been exceeded,
And the world has declined and the best of it
has gone, turning its back,
Whoever is sure of the promise has become
weary of it.’
Ibn Abi’d-Dunya narrated that Yahya ibn Abi
Rashid al-Basri said: ‘Umar said to his son,
‘Be economical with my shroud, for if there is
good for me with Allah, He will exchange it for
me for that which is better than it. If I have
been otherwise, He will strip me and be very
fast in stripping me. Be economical in the
grave you dig for me, for if there is good for
me with Allah, He will expand it for me as far
as my sight can reach. If I have been
otherwise, He will tighten it upon me until my
ribs interlace. Let not a woman go out with
me (to the grave), and do not attribute to me
a purity that I do not have, for Allah has more
knowledge of me. When you go out (with me
to the grave) then hasten your pace, for if
there is good for me with Allah, you will send
me on to what is better for me. If I am
otherwise, you will throw an evil you have
been carrying down from your necks.’

#10 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

The things in which he was first
Al-‘Askari said: He was the first to be called
‘Amir al-Mu’minin’, the first to date events
from the Hijrah, the first to take a bait al-mal
(see the chapter on Abu Bakr), the first to
establish as a sunnah the standing (for
prayer) in the month of Ramadan, the first
who patrolled at night, the first who punished
satire, the first who punished wine-drinking
with eighty (lashes), the first who declared al-
mut‘ah (temporary marriage) haram (rather
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, forbade it on the Day of Khaybar –
see the Muwatta’ of Imam Malik), the first to
forbid the sale of female slaves who had borne
children to their masters, the first to assemble
for prayers over the dead with four takbirs, the
first to have a register, the first to make
conquests, the first to survey the Sawad (the
cultivated land of Iraq), the first to convey
food from Egypt upon the Aylah Sea (Gulf of
‘Aqabah) to Madinah, the first who dedicated
sadaqah (purely for the sake of Allah) in
Islam, and the first who adjusted the division
of inheritances (in cases where the calculated
portions add up to more than the total
inheritance), the first to take the zakat of
horses, the first to say, ‘May Allah lengthen
your life,’ (he said it to ‘Ali) and the first to
say, ‘May Allah help you,’ (he said it to ‘Ali).
This is the end of what al-‘Askari mentioned.
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib that he was
the first to adopt the whip. Ibn Sa‘d mentions
it in the Tabaqat, and he said: It used to be
said, after him, ‘The whip of ‘Umar is more
terrible than your sword.’ He (an-Nawawi)
continued: He was the first to appoint qadis in
the provinces, the first who established the
provinces of (the cities of) Kufa, Basra, and of
Mesopotamia, Syria, Cairo (Egypt), and Mosul.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Isma‘il ibn Ziyad
said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib passed by the mosques
in Ramadan and in them there were lamps, so
he said, ‘May Allah illuminate ‘Umar in his
grave, as he has illuminated our mosques for
us.’
Section: Ibn Sa‘d said: ‘Umar appointed a
meal (flour) house and put flour in it, parched
barley meal, dates, raisins and necessities, in
order to help the traveller whose journey was
interrupted (through need or other causes),
and he established between Makkah and
Madinah on the road that which would be
useful to travellers whose journeys were
interrupted. He demolished the Mosque of the
Prophet, added to it, expanded it and floored
it with pebbles. He was the one who evicted
the Jews from the Hijaz (and sent them) to
Syria, and evicted the people of Najran (and
sent them) to Kufa. He was the one who
moved the Station of Ibrahim back (from the
Ka‘bah) to where it is today, and it used to be
adjoining the House.

#9 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

His khilafah
He took on the khilafah through the covenant
of Abu Bakr in Jumada al-Akhirah in the year
13 AH.
Az-Zuhri said, ‘‘Umar was appointed khalifah
on the day that Abu Bakr died which was
Tuesday eight days before the end of Jumada
al-Akhirah.’ Al-Hakim narrated it. He
undertook the command most fully, and there
were very many openings in his days.
In the year 14 AH, Damascus was opened [to
Islam] partly both by treaty and force, and
Homs (ancient Emessa) and Baalbek by treaty,
and Basra and Ubullah by force.
‘In that year ‘Umar united people in one
jama‘ah in salat at-tarawih (the optional
prayers said at night in Ramadan),’ said
al-‘Askari in Al-Awa’il (Firsts).
In the year 15 AH, all of Jordan was opened
[to Islam] by force except for Tiberias which
was by treaty. In this year there were the
battles of Yarmuk and Qadisiyyah.
Ibn Jarir said: In it Sa‘d founded Kufa, and
‘Umar instituted regular wages (for the
fighting men), registers, and gave allowances
according to priority.
In the year 16 AH, Ahwaz and Mada’in were
opened, and in the latter Sa‘d established the
Jumu‘ah in the great hall of Khosrau, and this
was the first Jumu‘ah to be held in Iraq. That
was in the month of Safar. In it, was the battle
of Jalula in which Yezdajird the son of
Khosrau was defeated and he retreated back
to Rayy. In it, Takrit was opened, ‘Umar
travelled and took al-Bait al-Maqdis
(Jerusalem) and gave his famous khutbah in
al-Jabiyyah. Kinnasrin, Aleppo, and Antioch
were opened by force, Manbij by treaty, and
Saruj by force. In that year, Qirqisiya’ was
opened by treaty. In Rabi‘ al-Awwal, dating
was begun from the Hijrah on the advice of
‘Ali.
In the year 17 AH, ‘Umar increased the size of
the Prophet’s Mosque. In it there was drought
and famine in the Hijaz and it was called the
Year of Destruction, and ‘Umar prayed for rain
for people by means of al-‘Abbas.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated from Niyar al-Aslami that
‘Umar, when he came out to pray for rain,
came out with the cloak of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, upon
him.
He narrated that Ibn ‘Awn said: ‘Umar took
hold of the hand of al-‘Abbas and raised it up,
saying, ‘O Allah, we approach You by means
of the uncle of Your Prophet (asking) that You
drive away from us the drought, and that You
give us to drink from the rain,’ and they didn’t
leave before they were given to drink. The sky
poured down upon them for days. In that year
Ahwaz was taken by treaty.
In the year 18 AH, Jundaysabur was opened
[to Islam] by treaty, and Hulwan by force. In it,
was the plague of Emaus; Urfa (Edessa) and
Sumaysat were opened by force; Harran,
Nasibin and a part of Mesopotamia by force,
and it has been said, by treaty; and Mosul and
its environs by force.
In the year 19 AH, Cæsarea was opened by
force.
In the year 20 AH, Egypt was opened by force.
It is also said that all of Egypt was opened by
treaty except for Alexandria which was opened
by force. ‘Ali ibn Rabah said, ‘The whole of
the Maghrib (northwestern Africa) was opened
by force.’ In that year Tustar was opened,
Caesar (Heraclius), the great man of the
Byzantines, died. In it also, ‘Umar expelled the
Jews from Khaybar and Najran, and he
apportioned Khaybar and Wadi’l-
Qurra’ (between those who had been present
there at the original battles of the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace).
In the year 21 AH, Alexandria was opened by
force, and Nahawand, after which the Persians
could not muster an army, and Barqah and
other places.
In the year 22 AH, Azerbaijan was opened by
force, and it has been said, by treaty, and
Dinawr by force, Masabdhan and Hamadan by
force, and Tripoli of North Africa, Rai, ‘Askar
and Qumas.
In the year 23 AH, there were the openings [to
Islam] of Kirman, Sijistan, Makran in the
mountainous lands, and also Isfahan and its
environs.
In the end of this year there was the death of
Sayyiduna ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with
him, after his return from the Hajj; he was
killed as a martyr.
Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab said: When ‘Umar
returned from Mina (to Makkah), he made his
camel kneel down in the watercourse, then he
threw himself down, raised his hands to the
sky and said, ‘O Allah! I am advanced in
years, my strength has weakened, and my
subjects have increased, so take me to You
without (my) being wasteful or falling short.’
Dhu’l-Hijjah had not gone before he was
killed. Al-Hakim narrated it.
Abu Salih as-Saman said: Ka‘b al-Ahbar said
to ‘Umar, ‘I find you in the Tawrah killed as a
martyr.’ He said, ‘How can I be a martyr when
I am in the peninsula of the Arabs?’
Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘O Allah provide me
with martyrdom in Your way, and make my
death to be in the city of Your Messenger.’ Al-
Bukhari narrated it.
Ma‘dan ibn Abi Talhah: ‘Umar gave a khutbah
and said, ‘I saw (in a dream) as if a cock
pecked at me once or twice, and I can only
believe that it means that my term has come.
There are people who tell me to appoint a
successor, and Allah will not cause His deen
to go to waste nor His khilafah. If the matter
is hastened for me, then the khilafah is a
matter of consultation between these six
whom the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, was pleased with
when he died.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.
Az-Zuhri said: ‘Umar would not permit a
captive who had reached the age of puberty to
enter Madinah until al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah
wrote to him – and he was the governor of
Kufa – mentioning to him a slave who had a
number of crafts and asking permission that
he enter Madinah, saying, ‘He has many
trades which are useful to people. He is a
blacksmith, engraver and carpenter.’ He gave
permission to him to send him to Madinah.
Al-Mughirah put a demand for revenue on him
(the slave) of one hundred dirhams per month,
so the slave came to ‘Umar to complain of the
severity of that imposition. He [‘Umar] said,
‘Your demand for revenue is not that much,’
and he [the slave] turned away in anger and
threateningly. ‘Umar waited some days and
then called him and said, ‘Have I not been
informed that you say, “If I wished, I could
make a mill which will grind by means of the
wind.”’ Then he turned his face to ‘Umar with
a frown and said, ‘I will make for you a mill
which people will talk about.’ When he turned
away, ‘Umar said to his companions, ‘The
slave threatened me just now.’ After a while
Abu Lu’lu’ah wrapped his garments around a
dagger with two heads (to the blade) whose
handle was in the middle of it, hid in one of
the corners of the mosque in the darkness of
the last part of the night, and there he waited
until ‘Umar came out waking people up for the
prayer. When he drew near to him, he stabbed
him three times. Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.
‘Amr ibn Maymun al-Ansari said: Abu
Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-Mughirah, stabbed
‘Umar with a dagger which had two heads,
and he stabbed, along with him, twelve other
men of whom six died, then a man from Iraq
threw a robe over him. When he became
tangled up in it, he killed himself.
Abu Rafi‘ said: Abu Lu’lu’ah, the slave of al-
Mughirah, used to make mills. Al-Mughirah
used to demand as revenue from him four
dirhams a day. He met ‘Umar and said, ‘Amir
al-Mu’minin, al-Mughirah is being very heavy
on me, so speak to him.’ He said, ‘Behave well
towards your master,’ – and ‘Umar’s intention
was to speak to al-Mughirah about it – so he
(the slave) became angry and said, ‘His
justice encompasses all of the people except
for me,’ and he secretly decided to kill him. He
took a dagger, sharpened it and poisoned it.
‘Umar used to say, ‘Straighten your ranks,’
before he pronounced the takbir. He came and
stood opposite him in the rank, stabbed him in
his shoulder and side, and ‘Umar fell. Then he
stabbed thirteen other men with him, of whom
six died. ‘Umar was carried to his family. The
sun was about to rise so ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn
‘Awf led the people in prayer with the two
shortest surahs. ‘Umar was brought some
nabidh (a drink made from dates left to soak
in water) and he drank it and it came out of
his wound, but it wasn’t yet distinct (from the
blood). So they gave him some milk to drink,
and it came out of his wound and they said,
‘There’s no great harm with you.’ He said, ‘If
there is any harm in killing, then I have been
killed.’ People began to praise him, saying,
‘You were such and such and you were such
and such.’ He said, ‘By Allah, I wish that I had
gone out of it, independent of others, with
nothing against me and nothing for me, and
that the companionship of the Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and his family and
grant them peace, was secure for me.’ Ibn
‘Abbas praised him, so he said, ‘Even if I had
that gold which would fill the earth, I would
ransom myself by it from the terror of the
rising. I have made it (the khilafah) a matter
of consultation between ‘Uthman, ‘Ali, Talhah,
az-Zubayr, ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf and
Sa‘d.’ He ordered Suhayb to lead people in
prayer, and gave the six a period of three
(days in which to decide). Al-Hakim narrated
it.
Ibn ‘Abbas said: Abu Lu’lu’ah was a Magian.
‘Amr ibn Maymun said: ‘Umar said, ‘Praise be
to Allah Who did not make my decree of death
to be at the hands of a man who claimed
Islam.’ Then he said to his son, ‘‘Abdullah,
look and see what debts I have.’ They
calculated it and found it to be eighty-six
thousand or thereabouts. He said, ‘If the
wealth of the family of ‘Umar is enough, then
pay it. If it is not, then ask among Bani ‘Adi,
and if their wealth is not enough, then ask
among Quraysh. Go to the Mother of the
Believers, ‘A’ishah, and say, “‘Umar asks
permission to be buried with his two
companions.”’ He went to her and she said, ‘I
wanted it’ – meaning the burial plot – ‘for
myself, but I will definitely prefer him over
myself, today.’ ‘Abdullah came and said, ‘She
has given permission,’ so he praised Allah.
Someone said to him, ‘Make bequest, Amir al-
Mu’minin, and appoint a successor.’ He said,
‘I see no-one with more right to this
command than these six with whom the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, was pleased when he died,’ and he
named the six, and said, ‘‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar
will be present with them but he has no part
in the command. If the office should fall to
Sa‘d, then he it is, and if not, then let whoever
of you is appointed seek help from him, for I
did not remove him (from his office as amir of
Kufa) because of any incapacity or treachery.’
Then he said, ‘I counsel the khalifah after me
to have fearful obedience of Allah; I counsel
him to pay particular care to the Muhajirun
and the Ansar, and I counsel him to treat the
people of the provinces well,’ and other similar
counsels. When he died, we went walking with
him, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar called out the
greeting and said, ‘‘Umar seeks permission to
enter.’ ‘A’ishah said, ‘Bring him in.’ He was
brought in and placed there with his two
companions.
When they finished burying him and had
returned, that group gathered and ‘Abd ar-
Rahman ibn ‘Awf said, ‘Delegate your
authority to three among you.’ Az-Zubayr
said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Ali.’ Sa‘d
said, ‘I delegate my authority to ‘Abd ar-
Rahman.’ Talhah said, ‘I delegate my
authority to ‘Uthman.’ He continued: so there
remained these three. ‘Abd ar-Rahman said, ‘I
don’t want it. Which of you two will be quit of
this matter and we will entrust it to him (the
remaining one)? And Allah is his witness and
Islam, let him consider in himself who is the
best of them and let him be eager for the
benefit of the ummah.’ The two Shaykhs, ‘Ali
and ‘Uthman were silent. ‘Abd ar-Rahman
said, ‘Delegate me and, Allah is my witness, I
will not fail you in choosing the best of you.’
They said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with ‘Ali
and said, ‘You have that precedence in Islam
and kinship with the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, which you know.
Allah is your witness; if I give you authority,
will you be just, and if I give authority (to
‘Uthman) over you, will you hear and obey?’
He said, ‘Yes.’ Then he went apart with the
other and said to him the same thing. When
he had their agreement, he pledged allegiance
to ‘Uthman and ‘Ali pledged allegiance to him.
There is in the Musnad of Ahmad that ‘Umar
said: If my term overtakes me, and Abu
‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah is still alive, then I would
appoint him as khalifah. If my Lord asked me,
I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, saying, “Every
Prophet has a trustworthy (companion), and
my trustworthy (companion) is Abu ‘Ubaydah
ibn al-Jarrah.”’ If my term overtakes me, and
Abu ‘Ubaydah al-Jarrah has died, I would
appoint Mu‘adh ibn Jabal as khalifah. If my
Lord asked me, ‘Why did you appoint him as
khalifah?’ I would say, ‘I heard the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
saying, “He will be raised up on the Day of
Resurrection a distance in front of the men of
knowledge.”’ They had both died during his
khilafah.
Also in the Musnad there is from Abu Rafi‘
that someone spoke to ‘Umar at his death
about the appointment of a khalifah, so he
said, ‘I have seen among my companions an
unfortunate eagerness. If one of two men had
reached me, and then I had entrusted this
command to him, I would have been sure of
him: Salim the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah
and Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah.’
‘Umar was struck on the Wednesday, four days
before the end of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and he was
buried on Sunday, the day of the new moon of
al-Muharram, the Sacred (month). He was
sixty-three years old. It has also been said
that he was sixty-six, sixty-one, sixty (which
al-Waqidi considered the weightiest). It has
been said that he was fifty-nine, fifty-five and
fifty-four. Suhayb performed the (funeral)
prayer over him in the mosque.
In the Tahdhib of al-Mazini, there is that the
engraving on the seal-ring of ‘Umar was,
‘Death is enough of an admonisher, ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab
said: Umm Ayman said, on the day ‘Umar was
killed, ‘Today Islam has been rent.’
‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Yasar narrated. He said,
‘I witnessed the death of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
and the sun was eclipsed on that day.’ The
men who transmitted (this hadith) were
trustworthy.

#8 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

His description
Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that Zirr said:
I went out with the people of Madinah on the
day of ‘Eid and I saw ‘Umar walking barefoot,
an old man, balding, of a tawny colour, left-
handed, tall, towering over people as if he
were on a riding beast. Al-Waqidi said: It is
not known among us that ‘Umar was tawny,
unless he saw him in the year of the drought,
because his colour changed when he ate olive
oil.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Ibn ‘Umar described
‘Umar and said: A man of fair complexion,
with a ruddy tint prevailing, tall, balding and
grey-haired.
He narrated that ‘Ubaydah ibn ‘Umayr said:
‘Umar used to overtop people in height.
He narrated that Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ said:
‘Umar was left and right-handed, meaning
that he used both hands together.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Abu Raja’ al-‘Utaridi
said: ‘Umar was a tall stout man, extremely
bald, fair but extremely ruddy, in the two sides
of his beard a lightness, his moustache was
large and at its extremities there was a
redness at the roots of which there was black.
In the Tarikh of Ibn ‘Asakir by various routes
there is that the mother of ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattab was Hantamah the daughter of
Hisham ibn al-Mughirah and she was the
sister of Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, so that Abu
Jahl was his maternal uncle.

#7 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

Some particulars of his biography
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Ahnaf ibn Qays
said: We were sitting at ‘Umar’s door and a
slave girl passed by, and they said, ‘The
concubine of the Amir al-Mu’minin.’ He said,
‘She is not the concubine of the Amir al-
Mu’minin, and she is not permitted to him.
She is of the property of Allah.’ So we said,
‘Then what is permitted to him of the property
of Allah, exalted is He?’ He said, ‘There is only
permitted to ‘Umar of the property of Allah two
garments, a garment for the winter and a
garment for the summer, that with which I can
perform the Hajj and the ‘Umrah (i.e. an
ihram), my sustenance and the sustenance of
my family, as a man of Quraysh who is not
the wealthiest of them nor the poorest, then I
am, after that, a man among the Muslims.’
Khuzaymah ibn Thabit said, ‘Whenever ‘Umar
appointed a governor, he wrote to him and
made a condition on him that he should not
ride a birdhaun (a large heavy non-Arabian
horse from Asia Minor or Greece), nor eat
delicacies, nor dress in finery, nor lock his
door against the needy. If he did that, it would
be permitted to punish him.’
‘Ikrimah ibn Khalid and others said: Hafsah,
‘Abdullah and others spoke to ‘Umar and said,
‘If only you were to eat wholesome food it
would strengthen you upon the truth.’ He
asked, ‘Are you all of this view?’ They said,
‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I have learnt what your sincere
advice is. However, I have left my two
companions on a highway, and if I abandon
their highway I will not reach them in the
house.’ He (‘Ikrimah) said: An affliction befell
the people one year, and that year he did not
eat clarified butter nor fat.
Ibn Mulaykah said: ‘Utbah ibn Farqad spoke
to ‘Umar about his food and he said, ‘Mercy
on you! Should I eat up my wholesome sweet
things in my worldly life and seek to enjoy
myself with them?’
Al-Hasan said: ‘Umar entered in upon his son
‘Asim when he was eating meat and he said,
‘What is this?’ He said, ‘We had a craving for
it.’ He said, ‘Every time you crave something,
do you eat it? It is sufficient wasteful
extravagance for a man that he eats
everything for which he has an appetite.’
Aslam said: ‘Umar said, ‘There occurred to my
heart a desire for fresh fish.’ He (Aslam) said:
Yarfa’ mounted his camel and rode four miles
there, four miles back, buying a basketful and
bringing it back. Then he went to his camel,
washed it, and went to ‘Umar. He said, ‘Let us
go and I will look at the camel.’ He said, ‘Did
you forget to wash this sweat beneath its
ears? Have you tormented an animal for the
appetite of ‘Umar? No! by Allah! ‘Umar will
not taste of your basket.’
Qatadah said: ‘Umar used to dress, while he
was khalifah, with a garment of wool patched
in parts with leather, and he would go around
in the markets with a whip over his shoulder
with which he would correct people. He would
pass bits of rags and pieces of date-stones,
which he would stumble on unexpectedly, and
he would throw them into people’s houses for
them to use.
Anas said: I saw between ‘Umar’s shoulder-
blades, four patches in his shirt. Abu ‘Uthman
an-Nahdi said: I saw ‘Umar wearing a
waistwrapper patched with leather. ‘Abdullah
ibn ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah said: I performed the
Hajj with ‘Umar and he did not pitch a tent of
goat’s hair nor of wool. He used to throw the
upper part of his ihram and his leather mat
over a bush and seek shelter underneath it.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Isa said: There were two dark
furrows in ‘Umar’s face from his weeping. Al-
Hasan said: ‘Umar used to pass by an ayah in
his wird (daily portion set aside to recite) and
he would fall down (in a faint) until he revived
after some days. Anas said: I entered a walled
garden and heard ‘Umar saying, while there
was a wall between us, ‘‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Amir al-Mu’minin. Well done! Well done! By
Allah, you will fear Allah, Ibn al-Khattab or
Allah will punish you.’ ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir ibn
Rabi‘ah said: I saw ‘Umar take up a straw
from the ground and say, ‘I wish I was this
straw. I wish I was nothing. I wish that my
mother had not given birth to me.’ ‘Abdullah
ibn ‘Umar ibn Hafs said: ‘Umar carried a skin
full of water upon his neck. Someone spoke to
him about that and he said, ‘My self was
filling me with conceit and I wished to humble
it.’ Muhammad ibn Sirin said: An in-law of
‘Umar’s came to see him and asked him to
give him something from the bait al-mal and
‘Umar refused him and said, ‘Do you want me
to meet Allah as a treacherous King?’ Then he
gave him from his own property ten thousand
dirhams. An-Nakha‘i said: ‘Umar used to
trade while he was khalifah. Anas said:
‘Umar’s stomach rumbled from eating olive oil
the year of the drought – he had forbidden
himself clarified butter – and he tapped on his
stomach with his finger and said, ‘There is
nothing else for us, until the people have the
means of living.’ Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said:
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said, ‘The person I like
most is the one who points out to me my
defects.’ Aslam said: I saw ‘Umar ibn al-
Khattab taking hold of the ear of the horse,
taking hold of his own ear with the other
hand, and leaping up on the back of the
horse. Ibn ‘Umar said: I never saw ‘Umar
become angry, and then Allah was mentioned
in his presence or he was made to fear, or a
person would recite an ayah from the Qur’an
in his presence, but that he stopped short of
what he meant to do. Bilal said to Aslam,
‘How do you find ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘The best of
people, except that when he becomes angry it
is a mighty matter.’ Bilal said, ‘If I was with
him when he became angry, I would recite
Qur’an to him until his anger went.’ Al-Ahwas
ibn Hakim said, narrating from his father:
‘Umar was brought meat dressed with clarified
butter and he refused to eat the two of them.
He said, ‘Both of them are seasonings.’ All of
the foregoing traditions are from Ibn Sa‘d.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that al-Hasan said: ‘Umar
said, ‘It is an easy thing by which I put right a
people, that I exchange them an amir in place
of an amir.”

#6 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

His miracles
Al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nu‘aym narrated, both of
them in [books that they each called] Dala’il
an-Nubuwwah, and al-Lalka’i in Sharh as-
Sunnah, ad-Dayr‘aquli in his Fawa’id, Ibn al-
A‘rabi in his Karamat al-Awliya and al-
Khateeb in Ruwat Malik ‘an Nafi‘ ‘an Ibn
‘Umar that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar sent an
army and he put at the head of them a man
called Sariyah. While ‘Umar was delivering the
khutbah he began to cry out, ‘Sariyah, the
mountain!’ three times. Then later the
messenger of the army came and he told
‘Umar, ‘Amir al-Mu’minin, we were being
defeated and in that situation we heard a
voice crying out, “Sariyah, the mountain!”
three times. We put the mountain to our rear,
and then Allah defeated them.’ Someone said
to ‘Umar, ‘You cried out with those words.’
That mountain, where Sariyah was, is close to
Nahawand in the land of the non-Arabs
(Persian Iraq). Ibn Hajar said in al-Isabah: Its
isnad is good.
Ibn Mardawayh narrated by way of Maymun
ibn Mihran that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar was
delivering the khutbah on the day of Jumu‘ah
and then he turned aside during his khutbah
and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain! He who asks
the wolf to be a shepherd will be wronged.’
People looked about, one to another. Then ‘Ali
said to them, ‘Let him explain what he
meant.’ When he had finished they asked him
and he said, ‘It occurred to me in my mind
that the idolaters were defeating our brothers
who were passing by a mountain, and that if
they were to turn towards it, they would fight
on one front only, but if they passed by it they
would be destroyed. So there came out of me
that which you claim you heard.’ He said: The
messenger came a month later and mentioned
that they had heard the voice of ‘Umar on that
day, and he said, ‘We turned towards the
mountain, and Allah gave us victory.’
Abu Nu‘aym said in ad-Dala’il that ‘Amr ibn
al-Harith said: While ‘Umar (ibn al-Khattab)
was upon the minbar delivering the khutbah
on the day of Jumu‘ah suddenly he left off the
khutbah and said, ‘Sariyah, the mountain!’
two or three times. Some of those present
said, ‘He has gone mad, he is insane.’ ‘Abd
ar-Rahman ibn ‘Awf went in to see him – and
he had confidence in him – and he said, ‘You
give them room to talk against you. While you
were giving the khutbah, suddenly you cried
out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” What sort of
thing is this?’ He said, ‘By Allah, I could not
control it. I saw them fighting near a
mountain and they were being attacked from
in front of them and from behind them. I could
not stop myself from saying, “Sariyah, the
mountain!” so that they would reach the
mountain.’ Then they waited some time until
Sariyah’s messenger came with his letter, ‘The
people met us (in battle) on the day of
Jumu‘ah, and we fought them until, when it
was time for Jumu‘ah, we heard someone cry
out, “Sariyah, the mountain!” twice, so we
reached the mountain. We continued
victorious over our enemy until Allah defeated
them and killed them.’ Then those people who
had accused him said, ‘Leave this man alone,
because he is in collusion with him.’
Abu’l-Qasim ibn Bishran narrated in his
Fawa’id by way of Musa ibn ‘Uqbah from Nafi‘
that Ibn ‘Umar said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
said to a man, ‘What is your name?’ He said,
‘Jamrah (a live coal).’ He asked, ‘Whose son?’
He said, ‘The son of Shihab (flame).’ He asked,
‘From what tribe?’ He said, ‘From al-Hurqah
(a state of burning).’ He asked, ‘Where is your
dwelling?’ He said, ‘At al-Harrah (“the
volcanic tract” from al-harr – the heat).’ He
asked, ‘In which of them?’ He said, ‘Dhat
Ladha (the blazing one).’ ‘Umar said, ‘Go to
your family for they have been burnt.’ The
man returned to his family and found that
they had been burnt. Malik narrated the like of
it in the Muwatta from Yahya ibn Sa‘id, Ibn
Durayd in al-Akhbar al-Manthurah, Ibn al-
Kalbi in al-Jami‘ and others narrated it.
Abu’sh-Shaykh narrated in Kitab
al-‘Adhamah: Abu’t-Tib narrated to us: ‘Ali
ibn Dawud narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Fattah ibn
Salih narrated to us: ‘Abdullah ibn Salih
narrated to us: Ibn Lahi‘ah narrated to us
from Qais ibn al-Hajjaj, from someone he
related from, said: When Egypt was conquered,
its people came to ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, when the
first day of one of their months arrived, and
they said to him, ‘Amir, this Nile of ours has a
custom (sunnah) without which it does not
flow.’ He asked, ‘And what is that?’ They said,
‘When eleven nights have elapsed of this
month we seek a young virgin from her
parents, we obtain the consent of the parents,
then we dress her in the best possible clothing
and ornaments, and then we throw her in this
Nile.’ So ‘Amr said to them, ‘This will never be
in Islam. Islam demolishes what precedes it.’
They left, and neither did the Nile flow a little
nor a lot, so much so that they intended to
emigrate. When ‘Amr saw that, he wrote to
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab about it. He wrote back
to him, ‘You were right in what you said.
Truly, Islam demolishes what precedes it.’ He
sent a slip of paper inside his letter and wrote
to ‘Amr, ‘I have sent you a slip of paper inside
my letter, so throw it in the Nile.’ When
‘Umar’s letter reached ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, he took
the slip and opened it, and there was in it,
‘From the slave of Allah ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
Amir al-Mu’minin to the Nile of Egypt. Now, if
you used to flow before, then don’t flow! If it
was Allah who made you flow, then I ask the
Overwhelming One to make you flow.’ He threw
the slip into the Nile a day before (the Festival
of) the Cross. They woke up in the morning,
and Allah, Exalted is He, had made it flow
(and it rose) sixteen cubits in one night. Allah
cut off this sunnah (custom) of the people of
Egypt right up to this day.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Tariq ibn Shihab
said: A man was in conversation with ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattab and told him a lie, and he
would say, ‘Withhold this.’ Then later he told
him something else and he said, ‘Withhold
this.’ He said to him, ‘Everything I told you
was true except for what you told me to
withhold.’
He narrated that al-Hasan said: If there was
anyone who recognised a lie when he was told
it, it was ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Al-Bayhaqi narrated in ad-Dala’il that Abu
Hudbah al-Himsi said: ‘Umar was told that
the people of Iraq had pelted their amir with
pebbles and he went out angry. He performed
the prayer but was forgetful in his prayer.
When he had completed the prayer, he said, ‘O
Allah, they have made me confused, so make
them confused, and hasten with the youth of
(the tribe of) Thaqif who will pass judgement
among them with the judgement of Jahiliyyah,
who will not accept from their good-doers and
he will not pass over their wrongdoers with
pardon.’ I say that this indicates al-Hajjaj. Ibn
Lahi‘ah said, ‘Al-Hajjaj was not yet born at
that time.’

#5 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

Section
Sufyan ath-Thawri said: Whoever claimed that
‘Ali had more right to authority than Abu Bakr
and ‘Umar has made a mistake and has
accused Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and all the
Muhajirun and the Ansar of making a mistake.
Sharik said: No-one in whom there is any
good advances ‘Ali before Abu Bakr and
‘Umar.
Abu Usamah said: Do you grasp who Abu Bakr
and ‘Umar were? They were the father and
mother of Islam.
Ja‘far as-Sadiq said: I am quit of whoever
mentions Abu Bakr and ‘Umar with anything
but good.
The agreements of (the views of) cUmar
(with subsequent confirmatory revelations of
Qur’an)
Some of them make them amount to more
than twenty.
Ibn Mardawayh narrated that Mujahid said:
‘Umar used to hold a view and Qur’an would
be revealed with (confirmation of) it.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: In the
Qur’an there are some of the views of ‘Umar.
He narrated from Ibn ‘Umar as a
marfu‘ [hadith]: When people said one thing
and ‘Umar said another, the Qur’an would be
revealed with the like of what ‘Umar said.
The two Shaykhs narrated that ‘Umar said: I
agreed with my Lord in three things; I said,
‘Messenger of Allah, if only we were to take
the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer,’
and there was revealed, ‘… and take the
Station of Ibrahim as a place of
prayer.’ (Qur’an 2: 125). I said, ‘Messenger of
Allah, both good and bad people come to visit
your wives; if only you would order them to
wear hijabs,’ and the ayah of the hijab was
revealed. The wives of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, united in
jealousy, and so I said, ‘Perhaps his Lord, if
he divorces you, will give him in exchange
wives better than you, …’ and it was revealed
just like that (with exactly the same words,
see Qur’an 66: 5).
Muslim narrated that ‘Umar said, ‘I agreed
with my Lord in three things: in the hijab, in
the prisoners at Badr, and in the Station of
Ibrahim.’ In this hadith is a fourth instance.
In at-Tahdhib of an-Nawawi, ‘The Qur’an was
revealed in agreement with him on the
prisoners at Badr, on the hijab, on the Station
of Ibrahim and on the prohibition of wine.’ He
added a fifth instance and its hadith is in the
Sunan and the Mustadrak of al-Hakim that he
said, ‘O Allah, make clear to us about wine
with an explanation which relieves us from all
doubt.’ Then Allah revealed its prohibition.
Ibn Abi Hatim narrated in his tafsir that Anas
said: ‘Umar said, ‘I was in agreement with my
Lord in four things: this ayah was revealed,
“And certainly We have created man from an
extraction of clay,” (Qur’an 23: 12) and when
it was revealed I said, “So blessed be Allah
the best of creators,” and then it was revealed,
“So blessed be Allah the best of
creators.”’ (Qur’an 95: 8). Here he mentioned
a sixth instance. The hadith has another chain
of transmission from Ibn ‘Abbas which I have
narrated in at-Tafsir al-Musnad.
Then I saw in the book Fada’il al-Imamayn of
Abu ‘Abdullah ash-Shaybani that he said,
‘‘Umar agreed with his Lord in twenty-one
situations,’ and he mentioned these six
(aforementioned). He augmented as a seventh
the story of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy. I say: Its
hadith is in the sahih traditions from him
(‘Umar). He said, ‘When ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy
died, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and his family and grant them peace, was
invited to perform the funeral prayer over him
so he stood up for that. I rose up until I stood
up close to his chest and said, “Messenger of
Allah, is it over the enemy of Allah, Ibn Ubayy,
who said one day such-and-such?” Then, by
Allah, it wasn’t very long until it was revealed,
“And do not pray over one of them ever
…” (Qur’an 9: 84) to the conclusion of the
ayah.’
8. ‘They ask you about wine ...’ (Qur’an 2:
219) to the end of the ayah.
9. ‘O you who believe, do not approach the
prayer ...’ (Qur’an 4: 43) to the end of the
ayah. I say that the two of them, along with
the ayah from Al-Ma’idah, are one instance,
and the three are in the preceding hadith.
10. When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, increased in
seeking forgiveness for a people, ‘Umar said,
‘It is equal to them.’ Then Allah revealed, ‘It is
equal to them whether you seek forgiveness
for them …’ (Qur’an 63: 2) to the end of the
ayah. I say that this hadith has been narrated
by at-Tabarani from Ibn ‘Abbas.
11. When he, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, sought the advice of the
Companions about the expedition to Badr,
‘Umar was in favour of the expedition and so
it was revealed, ‘Just as your Lord brought
you out of your house by the truth …’ (Qur’an
8: 5) to the end of the ayah.
12. When he, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, sought the advice of the
Companions with respect to the story of the
slander (of ‘A’ishah) ‘Umar said, ‘Who married
you to her, Messenger of Allah?’ He said,
‘Allah.’ He said, ‘Do you think that your Lord
would conceal a defect of hers from you? Glory
be to You, this is huge slander!’ (Qur’an 24:
16). Then the revelation came down just like
that.
13. His story in the fast when he made love to
his wife after waking from sleep (before the
pre-dawn meal) – and that was forbidden in
the beginning of Islam – and so it was
revealed, ‘It is permitted to you on the night of
the fast …’ (Qur’an 2: 187) to the end of the
ayah. I say that Ahmad narrated it in his
Musnad.
14. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Whoever is an
enemy to Jibril …’ (Qur’an 2: 97) to the end of
the ayah. I say that Ibn Jarir and others
narrated it from many different narrators the
best of which is from ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi
Layla that: A Jew met ‘Umar and said, ‘Jibril,
whom your companion mentions, is an enemy
to us.’ So ‘Umar said, ‘Whoever is an enemy
to Allah and His angels and His messengers
and Jibril and Mika’il, then truly Allah is an
enemy to the disbelievers.’ So it was revealed
on the tongue of ‘Umar.
15. His words, Exalted is He, ‘Then no! By
your Lord, they do not believe …’ (Qur’an 4:
65) to the end of the ayah. I say that its story
has been narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim and Ibn
Mardawayh from Abu’l-Aswad. He said: Two
men brought a dispute to the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and his family and grant them
peace, and he gave judgement between them.
The one who had judgement given against him
said, ‘Let us go to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab,’ and
so the two of them went to him. The man said,
‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, gave judgement in my
favour against this man and he said, “Let us
go to ‘Umar.”’ ‘Umar said, ‘Is it like that?’ He
said, ‘Yes.’ So ‘Umar said, ‘Stay where you are
until I come out to you.’ Then he came out to
them wrapping his sword in his garment and
struck the one who had said, ‘Let us go to
‘Umar,’ and killed him. The other returned and
said, ‘Messenger of Allah, ‘Umar killed – by
Allah! – my companion.’ So he said, ‘I
wouldn’t have thought that ‘Umar would have
ventured to kill a believer.’ Then Allah
revealed, ‘Then no! By your Lord they do not
believe …’ to the end of the ayah. He declared,
there was to be no retaliation or compensation
for the blood of the man and declared ‘Umar
free from any wrong in his killing. There is
another connected text that supports this
story which I have related in at-Tafsir al-
Musnad.
16. Seeking permission to enter. That was
because his servant entered his room when he
was sleeping and he said, ‘O Allah, forbid
entrance.’ Then the ayah of seeking
permission to enter was revealed.
17. His saying about the Jews, ‘They are a
confounded people.’
18. His words, exalted is He, ‘Many of the first
ones and many of the latter ones.’ (Qur’an 56:
39-40). I say that Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it in
his Tarikh from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah and that it
is in the Asbab an-Nuzul.
19. The lifting (abrogation) of the recitation of,
‘The older man and the older woman when
they commit adultery …’ to the end of the
ayah.1
20. His words on the Day of Uhud when Abu
Sufyan said, ‘Is so-and-so among the
people?” (‘Umar said) “We will not answer
him,’ and the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, agreed with him. I say
that Ahmad narrated its story in his Musnad.
He said: And one joins to this what ‘Uthman
ibn Sa‘id ad-Darimi narrated in his book ar-
Radd ‘ala’l-Jahmiyah by way of Ibn Shihab
from Salim ibn ‘Abdullah that Ka‘b al-Ahbar
said, ‘Woe to the king of the earth from the
King of heaven.’ Then ‘Umar said, ‘Except for
whoever takes himself to account.’ Ka‘b said,
‘By the One in Whose hand is my soul it is in
the Tawrah. You have carried it on (the words
of the verse) consecutively.’ Then ‘Umar fell
prostrate.
Then I have seen in al-Kamil of Ibn ‘Adi by
the route of ‘Abdullah ibn Nafi‘ – and he is
weak – from his father from ‘Umar that Bilal
used to say, when he called the adhan, ‘I
witness that there is no god but Allah. Come
to prayer.’ Then ‘Umar said to him, ‘Say after
it, “I witness that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah.”’ The Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Say as
‘Umar said.’

#4 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

Sayings of the Companions and first
generations on him
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased
with him, said: There is not on the face of the
earth a man more beloved to me than ‘Umar.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it.
Someone said to Abu Bakr during his (last)
illness, ‘What will you say to your Lord, when
you have appointed ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I will
say to Him, “I have appointed over them the
best of them.”’ Ibn Sa‘d narrated it.
‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
When the right-acting are mentioned then
begin with ‘Umar. We did not think it unlikely
that as-Sakinah (the Divine Presence) spoke
with the tongue of ‘Umar. At-Tabarani
narrated it in al-Awsat.
Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: I have never seen anyone after the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, from the time he died, more perceptive
and more liberally generous than ‘Umar. Ibn
Sa‘d narrated it.
Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: Even if the knowledge of ‘Umar were to
be put in one scale of a balance and the
knowledge of every living being on the earth
were put in the other scale, the knowledge of
‘Umar would outweigh their knowledge. They
used to hold the view that he had gone (i.e.
died) with nine-tenths of knowledge. At-
Tabarani narrated it in al-Kabir, and al-Hakim
narrated it.
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: It is as if the knowledge of mankind was
concealed in the understanding of ‘Umar.
Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: By Allah, I do not know a man whom the
blame of the one who blames, for the sake of
Allah, does not overcome, except for ‘Umar.
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said
– and she mentioned ‘Umar – ‘He was, by
Allah! skilful in managing affairs, absolutely
unique.’
Mu‘awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: As for Abu Bakr, he did not want the
world and it did not want him. As for ‘Umar,
the world wanted him but he did not want it.
As for us, we have rolled over in it (like an
animal in the dust). Az-Zubayr ibn Bakkar
narrated it in al-Muwaffaqiyat.
Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
‘Ali entered upon ‘Umar – and he was
shrouded – and said, ‘The mercy of Allah upon
you! There is no-one I would prefer to meet
Allah with that which is in his page (the
record of his actions), after the
companionship of the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, than this
shrouded one.’ Al-Hakim narrated it.
Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: When the right-acting ones are
remembered, then begin with ‘Umar. Truly
‘Umar was the most knowledgeable of us of
the Book of Allah, and the most understanding
(literally: having the most fiqh) of us of the
deen of Allah, exalted is He. At-Tabarani and
al-Hakim narrated it.
Ibn ‘Abbas was asked about Abu Bakr and he
said, ‘He was the good, all of it.’ He was
asked about ‘Umar and said, ‘He was like the
apprehensive bird which thinks that on every
path there is a snare to catch it.’ He was
asked about ‘Ali and he said, ‘He was full of
resolve, sound judgement, knowledge and
valour.’ He narrated it in at-Tuyuriyyat.
At-Tabarani narrated from ‘Umayr ibn Rabi‘ah
that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to Ka‘b al-
Ahbar, ‘How do you find my description?’ He
said, ‘I find your description to be a horn of
iron.’ He asked, ‘What is a horn of iron?’ He
said, ‘A strong commander who, for the sake
of Allah, the censure of the one who blames
does not overcome.’ He said, ‘Then what?’ He
said, ‘There will be after you a khalifah whom
a wrongdoing group will kill.’ He said, ‘Then
what?’ He said, ‘Then there will be the trial
(affliction).’
Ahmad, al-Bazzar and at-Tabarani narrated
that Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with
him, said: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab excelled
people in four: the affair of the prisoners on
the Day of Badr, he ordered that they should
be killed and Allah revealed, ‘If it were not for
a decree of Allah which had preceded
…’ (Qur’an 8: 68) to the end of the ayah; and
in the matter of the hijab, he ordered the
women of the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, to veil themselves, so
Zaynab said to him, ‘And really you are
responsible over us Ibn al-Khattab, and the
revelation descends upon us in our houses?’
So Allah revealed, ‘Then if you ask them for
some item …’ (Qur’an 33: 53) to the end of the
ayah; and by the supplication of the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ‘O
Allah, help Islam with ‘Umar’; and in his view
of Abu Bakr, for he was the first one to pledge
allegiance to him.
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Mujahid said: We
used to say that the shaytans were chained
and shackled during the amirate of ‘Umar,
then when he was struck they spread abroad.
He narrated that Salim ibn ‘Abdullah said:
News of ‘Umar was slow in reaching Abu Musa
so he went to a woman who had a shaytan in
her, and asked her about him. She said, ‘Wait
until my shaytan comes to me.’ Then he came
and she asked him about him. He said, ‘I left
him dressed with a piece of cloth as a
waistwrapper, smearing the camels of the
sadaqah (the zakat) with tar (against the
mange or scab). And that is a man whom a
shaytan does not see but that he falls flat on
his nostrils; the angel is between his two eyes
and the Ruh al-Quds (Jibril) speaks with his
tongue.’

#3 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

His emigration
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘Ali said: I don’t
know of anyone who didn’t emigrate in secret
except for ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab; because
when he wanted to emigrate he strapped on
his sword, put his bow over his shoulder,
carried his arrows in his hand, and came to
the Ka‘bah where the nobles of Quraysh were
in the courtyard. He performed seven circuits,
and then prayed two raka‘at at the Station (of
Ibrahim). Then he approached their circle one
step at a time and said, “What ugly faces!
Whoever wishes to bereave his mother, orphan
his children and widow his wife then let him
meet me behind this valley.” Not one of them
followed him.
He narrated that al-Bara’, may Allah be
pleased with him, said: The first of the
Muhajirun who came to us was Mus‘ab ibn
‘Umayr, then Ibn Umm Maktum, then ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattab mounted among twenty others.
We said, ‘What has the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
done?’ He said, ‘He is right behind me.’ Then
later, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, came and Abu Bakr, may
Allah be pleased with him, along with him.
An-Nawawi said: ‘Umar attended, along with
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, all of the battles, and he
was one of those who stood firm beside him
on the Day of Uhud.
The hadith on his merit, other than those
already quoted in the chapter on as-Siddiq
The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Hurayrah,
may Allah be pleased with him, said: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘While I was asleep I saw myself
in the Garden, and there was a woman
performing wudu’ beside a palace. I said,
“Whose is this palace?” They said, “It belongs
to ‘Umar.” Then I remembered your jealousy
and turned away.’ ‘Umar wept and said,
‘Could I be jealous of you, Messenger of
Allah?’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar
narrated that the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
‘While I was asleep I drank – meaning milk –
until I saw satiation flowing in my nails, and
then I passed it to ‘Umar.’ They said, ‘How did
you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’ He said,
‘Knowledge.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Abu Sa‘id al-
Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I
heard the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, saying, ‘While I was sleeping
I saw people being shown to me and they had
shirts on. Some of them reached to the breast,
and some of them reached lower than that.
‘Umar was shown to me and he had on a shirt
which he was dragging along.’ They said,
‘How did you interpret it, Messenger of Allah?’
He said, ‘The deen.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Sa‘d ibn Abi
Waqqas said: The Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, ‘Ibn al-
Khattab, by Him in Whose hand is my self, the
shaytan never met you travelling on a road
but that he would travel on a road other than
your road.’
Al-Bukhari narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, said, ‘There were in the nations
before you people who were inspired, and if
there is one in my ummah it is ‘Umar.’
At-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘Allah has put the truth upon
‘Umar’s tongue and (in) his heart.’ Ibn ‘Umar
said: No affair ever happened among people
and they spoke about it and ‘Umar spoke
about it but that the Qur’an was revealed
confirming what ‘Umar said.
At-Tirmidhi narrated, as did al-Hakim who
declared it sahih, that ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir said:
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and his
family and grant them peace, said, ‘If there
were to be a prophet after me it would be
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab.’ At-Tabarani narrated it
from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri and ‘Ismah ibn
Malik and Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it from Ibn
‘Umar.
At-Tirmidhi narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah
be pleased with her, said: The Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘I
am looking at the shaytans of the jinn and
men who have fled from ‘Umar.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ubayy
ibn Ka‘b said: The Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, ‘The first one
whom the Truth will shake hands with is
‘Umar, the first He will greet (with the greeting
of peace), and the first He will take by the
hand and enter into the Garden.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Abu
Dharr said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah has
placed the truth upon the tongue of ‘Umar, it
speaks by him (or he speaks by it).’
Ahmad and al-Bazzar narrated that Abu
Hurayrah said: The Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, ‘Truly Allah
has placed the truth on the tongue of ‘Umar
and (in) his heart.’ At-Tabarani narrated this
hadith from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, Bilal,
Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and ‘A’ishah, may
Allah be pleased with them, and Ibn ‘Asakir
narrated it from a hadith of Ibn ‘Umar,
Ibn Mani‘ narrated in his Musnad that ‘Ali,
may Allah be pleased with him, said: We, the
Companions of Muhammad, used not to doubt
that the sakinah (tranquillity or Divine
presence) spoke by the tongue of ‘Umar.
Al-Bazzar narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘‘Umar is the lamp of the people
of the Garden.’ This hadith was narrated by
Abu Hurayrah and as-Sa‘b ibn Juththamah.
Al-Bazzar narrated from Qudamah ibn
Madh‘un that his paternal uncle ‘Uthman ibn
Madh‘un said: The Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, ‘This one is
the lock upon the fitnah (sedition and trials),’
and he indicated ‘Umar with his hand. ‘There
will remain a door strongly locked between
you and the fitnah as long as this one lives
among you.’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Ibn
‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both him
and his father, said: Jibril came to the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, and said, ‘Greet ‘Umar with the greeting
of peace and inform him that his anger is
might and his good pleasure is judgement.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that ‘A’ishah, may Allah
be pleased with her, said that the Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of ‘Umar.’
Ahmad narrated by way of Buraydah that the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘The shaytan is afraid of you,
‘Umar.’
Ibn ‘Asakir narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may
Allah be pleased with both of them, said: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘There is no angel in the heaven
that does not respect ‘Umar, and no shaytan
on the earth but that is afraid of ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu
Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, ‘Allah glories in the
people of ‘Arafah generally and He glories in
‘Umar particularly.’ He narrated the same in
al-Kabir in a hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah
be pleased with them both.
At-Tabarani and ad-Daylami narrated that al-
Fadl ibn ‘Abbas said: The Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘The
truth, after me, is with ‘Umar wherever he is.’
The two Shaykhs narrated that Ibn ‘Umar and
Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with both
of them, said: The Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, said, ‘While I was
asleep I saw myself at a well upon which was
a bucket, so I drew from it as long as Allah
willed. Then later Abu Bakr took it and drew a
full bucket or two, and in his drawing there
was some weakness, and Allah will forgive
him. Then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab came and
drew water and it became transformed in his
hand into a large bucket, and I have not seen
a chief of the people do wonderful deeds such
as he did, until the people had satisfied their
thirst and settled down (there by the water).’
An-Nawawi said in his Tahdhib: The men of
knowledge say, ‘This points to the khilafahs of
Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and to the great number
of conquests and the victory of Islam in the
time of ‘Umar.’
At-Tabarani narrated that Sadisah said: The
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, said, ‘The shaytan has not met ‘Umar
since he accepted Islam but that he fell upon
his face.’ Ad-Daraqutni narrated this hadith in
al-Afrad by way of Sadisah from Hafsah.
At-Tabarani narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b
said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, ‘Jibril said to me, “Let
Islam weep over the death of ‘Umar.”’
At-Tabarani narrated in al-Awsat that Abu
Sa‘id al-Khudri said: The Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Whoever
is angry with ‘Umar is angry with me. Whoever
loves ‘Umar loves me. Allah glories in the
people on the evening of ‘Arafah generally,
and He glories in ‘Umar particularly. Allah has
not sent a prophet except that he put among
his ummah an inspired man and if there is
one such in my ummah then it is ‘Umar.’ They
said, ‘Prophet of Allah, how inspired?’ He said,
‘The angels speak by his tongue.’ Its isnad is
hasan (good).

#2 Umar ibn al-Khattab from The History of the Khalifahs by Jalal ad- Din as-Suyuti

The reports on his acceptance of Islam
At-Tirmidhi narrated that Ibn ‘Umar narrated
that: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah, strengthen
Islam with whoever is more beloved to You of
these two men: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or Abu
Jahl ibn Hisham.’ At-Tabarani narrated this
from hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud and Anas, may
Allah be pleased with them.
Al-Hakim narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas related
that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, said, ‘O Allah, strengthen
Islam by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab especially.’ At-
Tabarani narrated this in the Awsat from a
hadith of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq and in the Kabir
from hadith of Thawban.
Ahmad narrated that ‘Umar said: I went out to
confront the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, and found that
he had preceded me to the mosque (of
Makkah). I stood behind him and he began by
reciting Suratu’l-Haqqah. I was astonished by
the composition of the Qur’an, so I said, ‘By
Allah, this is a poet as Quraysh say.’ Then he
recited, ‘It is truly the saying of a noble
messenger, and it is not the saying of a poet,
how little you believe…’ (Qur’an 69: 40) to the
end of the ayah, and Islam came about in my
heart.
Ibn Abi Jabir narrated that Jabir said: The
beginning of ‘Umar’s Islam was that ‘Umar
said, ‘My sister’s time to give birth came to
her at night so I went out of the house, and
entered the precincts of the Ka‘bah. Then the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, came and entered the Hijr (the low-
walled, semi-circular area to one end of the
Ka‘bah) and on him there were two rough
cloths. He prayed to Allah as much as Allah
willed, then he turned away and I heard
something the like of which I had not heard.
He went out and I followed him and he said,
“Who is this?” I said, “‘Umar.” He said,
“‘Umar, will you not leave me alone, either by
night or by day?” I became afraid that he
might supplicate against me, so I said, “I
witness that there is no god but Allah and
that you are the Messenger of Allah.” He said,
“‘Umar, keep it secret.” I said, “No, by the One
Who sent you with the truth, I will openly
declare it just as I openly declared idolatry.”’
Ibn Sa‘d, Abu Ya‘la, al-Hakim, and al-Bayhaqi
in ad-Dala’il, narrated that Anas, may Allah
be pleased with him, said: ‘Umar went out
wearing his sword, and a man from Bani
Zuhrah met him and said, ‘Where do you
intend going, ‘Umar?’ He said, ‘I want to kill
Muhammad.’ He said, ‘How will you be safe
from Bani Hashim and Bani Zuhrah if you
have killed Muhammad?’ He said, ‘I can only
believe that you have converted.’ He said,
‘Shall I show you something astonishing; your
brother-in-law and your sister have converted
and abandoned your deen.’ ‘Umar walked on
and came to the two of them while Khabbab
was with them. When he heard the sound of
‘Umar he hid in the house, and then he
(‘Umar) entered and said, ‘What is this
murmur of lowered voices?’ They had been
reciting Taha. They said, ‘Nothing but some
conversation which we were holding.’ He said,
‘Perhaps you two have converted?’ His
brother-in-law said to him, ‘‘Umar, what if the
truth were outside of your deen?’ So ‘Umar
leapt upon him and struck him severely. His
sister came to push him away from her
husband and he struck her a blow with his
hand so that her face bled. Then she said, and
she was angry, ‘And if the truth were outside
of your deen? I witness that there is no god
but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave
and His Messenger.’ ‘Umar said, ‘Give me the
writing which you have and I will read it,’ –
and ‘Umar used to read. His sister said to
him, ‘You are dirty, and no-one reads it but
the purified (so stand and bathe yourself or
perform wudu’).’ He stood and performed
wudu’, then he took the writing and read Taha
until it came to, ‘Truly I, I am Allah there is no
god except Me, so worship Me and establish
the prayer for My remembrance.’ (Qur’an 20:
14). ‘Umar said, ‘Show me the way to
Muhammad.’ When Khabbab heard the words
of ‘Umar he came out and said, ‘Rejoice,
‘Umar! Because I hope that you are the
(answer to the) supplication which the
Messenger of Allah made for you on the night
of Thursday, “O Allah, strengthen Islam with
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab or with ‘Amr ibn
Hisham.”’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, was in the
lower part of the house which was at the foot
of Safa and ‘Umar went off until he came to
the house, at the door of which were Hamzah,
Talhah and others. Hamzah said, ‘This is
‘Umar; If Allah wants good for him he will
become a Muslim; and if He wishes other than
that, then killing him will be a little thing for
us.’ He said: And the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, was inside receiving
revelation. He came out when ‘Umar arrived,
took hold of the folds of his clothes and the
straps of his sword, and said, ‘You won’t give
up, ‘Umar, until Allah visits you with disgrace
and punishment like he did al-Walid ibn al-
Mughirah.’ ‘Umar said, ‘I witness that there is
no god but Allah and that you are the slave of
Allah and His Messenger.’
Al-Bazzar, at-Tabarani, Abu Nu‘aym in al-
Hilyah , and al-Bayhaqi in ad-Dala’il narrated
that Aslam said: ‘Umar said to us, ‘I was the
most severe of people against the Messenger
of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace. Then one hot day at midday I was in
one of the pathways of Makkah, and a man
met me and said, “I am amazed at you, Ibn
al-Khattab. You claim that you are like this
and like this, and this matter has entered your
own house.” I said, “What is that?” He said,
“Your sister has become a Muslim.” So I went
back in a fury and struck the door. Someone
said, “Who is it?” I said, “‘Umar.” They hurried
and hid from me. They had been reciting a
page which they had and they abandoned it
and forgot it. My sister got up to open the
door, and I said to her, “Enemy of her own
self, have you converted?” I struck her upon
the head with something that I had in my
hand so that the blood flowed and she cried.
She said, “Ibn al-Khattab, whatever you are
going to do, then do it, for I have converted.” I
entered and sat down on the couch. Then I
glanced at the page and said, “What is this?
Give it to me.” She said, “You are not one of
its people, you don’t clean yourself after
intercourse, and this is a writing which none
touches except for those who have purified
themselves.” But I wouldn’t give up until she
gave it to me. I opened it and there in it was,
“In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.” When I passed by one of the
names of Allah, exalted is He, I became afraid
of it and I put down the page. Then I came
back to myself and picked up the page and
there in it was, “ There glorifies Allah that
which is in the heavens and the earth,” and I
became afraid. I read up until, “ believe in
Allah and His messenger! ” (Qur’an 57: 1-7)
and so I said, “I witness that there is no god
but Allah,” and so they all came out to me
hastily, saying, “Allahu Akbar!” and said,
“Rejoice! Because the Messenger of Allah, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace,
supplicated on Monday and said, ‘O Allah
strengthen Your deen with whoever is the
more beloved of the two men to You, either
Abu Jahl ibn Hisham or ‘Umar.’” They directed
me to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, in a house at the foot of as-
Safa, and I went to it and knocked on the
door. They said, “Who is it?” I said, “Ibn al-
Khattab.” They knew my severity against the
Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace, so nobody moved to open
the door until he said, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, “Open it for him.” They
opened it for me, two men grabbed hold of me
by the upper arms and brought me to the
Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, who said, “Leave him alone.” Then he
grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me
forcibly towards him and said, “Accept Islam,
Ibn al-Khattab. O Allah guide him,” and I bore
witness and the Muslims said, “Allahu Akbar!”
so loudly that it was heard in the valleys of
Makkah.
‘They had been concealing themselves. I did
not wish to see a man striking and being
struck but that I experienced it myself and
none of that touched me. I went to my uncle
Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, who was one of the
nobility, and knocked on his door. He said,
“Who is it?” I said, “Ibn al-Khattab, and I have
converted.” He said, “Don’t do it,” and
slammed the door on me. I said, “This isn’t
anything,” and went to one of the great ones
of Quraysh, called out to him and he came out
to me. I said to him the same as I had said to
my uncle, he said to me the same as my uncle
had said to me, went in and slammed the door
on me. I said, “This isn’t anything, the
Muslims are being struck and I am not being
struck.” A man said to me, “Would you like
your acceptance of Islam to be known?” I said,
“Yes.” He said, “When people are seated in
the Hijr go to so-and-so, a man who cannot
possibly conceal a secret, and say to him, just
between yourself and him, ‘I have converted,’
for it is very rare that he has ever concealed a
secret.” I went and people had already
gathered in the Hijr. I said, just between me
and him, “I have converted.” He said, “Did you
really do that?” I said, “Yes.” He cried at the
top of his voice, “Ibn al-Khattab has
converted.” They ran up to me; I was hitting
them, they were hitting me and people
gathered around me. Then my uncle said,
“What is this group?” Someone said, “‘Umar
has converted.” He stood upon the Hijr and
indicated with the palm of his hand, “I have
helped the son of my sister.” They dispersed
from around me. I did not want to have seen
any of the Muslims being struck and striking
without seeing it myself, so I said, “This which
has happened to me is nothing.” I went to my
uncle and said, “Your help is returned to you,”
and I continued to hit and be hit until Allah
strengthened Islam.’
Abu Nu‘aym narrated in ad-Dala’il and Ibn
‘Asakir that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased
with both of them, said: I asked ‘Umar, may
Allah be pleased with him, ‘For what reason
were you called Al-Faruq?’ He said, ‘Hamzah
accepted Islam three days before me. I went to
the mosque, and Abu Jahl hurried up to abuse
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, and Hamzah was told about it. He
took his bow and came to the mosque up to
the circle of Quraysh in which Abu Jahl was.
He leant upon his bow facing Abu Jahl and
looked at him, and Abu Jahl recognised the
mischief in his face, and said, “What is wrong
with you, Abu ‘Umarah?” He raised his bow
and with it struck one of the veins in his neck,
cutting it so that blood flowed. Quraysh
rectified that from fear of mischief and
trouble.’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was
concealed in the house of al-Arqam al-
Makhzumi so Hamzah went off and accepted
Islam. I went out three days after him and
there was so-and-so son of so-and-so al-
Makhzumi, and I said to him, “Do you yearn to
get out of the deen of your ancestors and
follow the deen of Muhammad?” He said, “If I
did, then one who has much greater right
upon you has also done it.” I said, “Who is
he?” He said, “Your sister and your brother in-
law.” I went off, found the door locked and
heard the murmur of lowered voices. Then the
door was opened for me. I entered and said,
“What is this I hear with you?” They said, “You
didn’t hear anything,” and the conversation
continued between us until I took hold of my
brother in-law’s head and hit him, making him
bleed. My sister stood up to me and took hold
of my head and said, “That has happened
despite you.” I was ashamed when I saw the
blood, so I sat down and said, “Show me this
writing.” My sister said, “No-one touches it
except for the purified. If you are truthful then
get up and bathe yourself.” I got up and
bathed myself, then I returned and sat down.
They brought me a page in which was, “In the
name of Allah, the Merciful, the
Compassionate.” I said, “Wholesome and pure
names!” “Taha. We have not revealed the
Qur’an to you for you to grieve, …” up to His
words, “… His are the most beautiful
names.” (Qur’an 20: 1-8). It became a great
matter in my heart and I said, “From this
Quraysh have fled!” I accepted Islam and said,
“Where is the Messenger of Allah, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace?” She said, “He
is in the house of al-Arqam.” I went to the
house and knocked on the door. The people
gathered and Hamzah said to them, “What is
wrong with you.” They said, “‘Umar.” He said,
“And if it is ‘Umar? Open the door for him. If
he has accepted, then we will accept that from
him, and if he turns his back, we will kill him.”
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, heard that and came
out. I pronounced the shahadah and the
people of the house said, “Allahu Akbar!” in
such a way that the people of Makkah heard
it. I said, “Messenger of Allah, are we not
upon the truth?” He said, “Of course.” I said,
“Why do we conceal it?” We went out in two
ranks, in one of which I was and in the other
Hamzah, until we entered the mosque, and
Quraysh looked at me and at Hamzah. There
came upon them gloom and depression the
like of which had never before come upon
them. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, named me on that
day “al-Faruq” because Islam had been shown
openly and a separation made between the
truth and falsehood.’
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Dhakwan said: I said to
‘A’ishah, ‘Who named ‘Umar “al-Faruq”?’ She
said, ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and
grant him peace.’
Ibn Majah and al-Hakim narrated that Ibn
‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both,
said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam, then Jibril
descended and said, ‘Muhammad, the
inhabitants of heaven rejoice in ‘Umar’s
acceptance of Islam.”
Al-Bazzar and al-Hakim, who declared it
sahih, narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be
pleased with them both, said: When ‘Umar
accepted Islam, the idolaters said, ‘The people
have been split in half from us today,’ and
Allah revealed, ‘O Prophet, Allah is enough for
you; and whoever follows you of the
believers.’ (Qur’an 8: 64).
Al-Bukhari narrated that Ibn Mas‘ud, may
Allah be pleased with him, said: We continued
to become mighty after the acceptance of
Islam by ‘Umar.
Ibn Sa‘d and at-Tabarani narrated that Ibn
Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Islam of ‘Umar was an opening, his
emigration was a help and his imamate was a
mercy. I saw us unable to pray towards the
House until ‘Umar accepted Islam. When
‘Umar accepted Islam, he fought them until
they left us alone and we prayed.
Ibn Sa‘d and al-Hakim narrated that
Hudhayfah said: When ‘Umar accepted Islam,
Islam was like the man advancing towards
you, only increasing in nearness. When ‘Umar
was killed, Islam was like the man backing
away from you, only increasing in distance.
At-Tabarani narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas, may
Allah be pleased with them both, said: The
first man to be open about Islam was ‘Umar
ibn al-Khattab.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Suhayb said: When
‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
accepted Islam, he was open about it, invited
people to it openly; we sat around the House
in circles, we made circuits around the House,
we took our rights from whoever was tough
with us, and we retaliated against him for
some of what he brought us.
Ibn Sa‘d narrated that Aslam the freed slave
of ‘Umar said: ‘Umar accepted Islam in Dhu’l-
Hijjah of the sixth year of prophethood while
he was twenty-six years old.